


Red, White, and Gray

by tardigradeschool



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Blood Loss, Gunshot Wounds, Hallucinations, Hurt Steve Rogers, Hurt/Comfort, Light Tony/Steve, M/M, Post-Avengers (2012), Pre-Civil War (Marvel), implied Steve/Bucky
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-28
Updated: 2015-12-28
Packaged: 2018-05-10 00:55:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5562547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tardigradeschool/pseuds/tardigradeschool
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They’re actually lucky to be alive at all. Well, “lucky” might be a stretch; Tony’s suit is lying in fragments around them, neither of them have anything that S.H.I.E.L.D could track, and they’re in the middle of some Siberian tundra. Also, Steve’s been shot twice. But yeah, lucky. Or, at a bare minimum, alive. For now.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Red, White, and Gray

They’re actually lucky to be alive at all. Well, “lucky” might be a stretch; Tony’s suit is lying in fragments around them, neither of them have anything that S.H.I.E.L.D could track, and they’re in the middle of some Siberian tundra. Also, Steve’s been shot twice. But yeah, lucky. Or, at a bare minimum, alive. For now.  
  
Steve’s wounds aren’t critical, but they’re everything but. There’s a hole in the side of his stomach, which as far as Tony can tell missed his organs, but then again, none of Tony’s doctorates are medical. And there’s another in his shoulder, which Tony’s currently trying to deal with. It’s bleeding more than he figures it should, but he’s not sure what that means or what he’s supposed to do about it.  
  
“Hold _still_ ,” he says, and Steve hisses through his teeth, which would probably be chattering like Tony’s if he weren’t clenching them so hard. Tony doesn’t blame him. It started snowing harder a couple minutes ago, and while Tony’s not incompetent, he’s not exactly the most capable nurse in the world. So it’s understandable that the Cap might be having trouble finding his happy place. Wincing, Tony puts a little more pressure on his shoulder, and Steve groans, “ _Fuck_.”  
  
Tony tuts. "Natasha been teaching you bad words again? There, you’re all fixed up.” This is an exaggeration. Tony’s done his best with their makeshift bandages, but the Cap’s still bleeding. Already the scrap of Tony’s undershirt wrapped around his stomach has begun to leak.  
  
Cap doesn’t point any of that out. He just glances at it, grunts, “Thanks,” and tries to wrap the tattered remains of his jacket closer around him.  
  
Tony moves a little closer. He’s trying to ignore the shreds of anxiety in his stomach. Coulson clearly hasn’t found them yet and Cap’s in bad shape. Tony isn’t exactly crazy about the idea of dying in the middle of a frozen wasteland with Captain America. He can see the headline now: _Captain America Back In Ice, Everything is Iron Man’s Fault_. Also, it’s really fucking cold, and he’s not a fan. Tony lives in California for a reason.  
  
“Too bad we can’t do that thing,” he says. He has to raise his voice; the wind is getting louder. Steve looks at him quizzically. “From Star Wars,” Tony says. “Where Han takes Luke and he puts him in the…” He trails off. “You ever seen that movie?”  
  
Steve nods. “Clint insisted.”  
  
“And?”  
  
“And it’s definitely too bad we don’t have one of those things.”  
  
“A tauntaun,” Tony says.  
  
“Yeah, that.” He leans back to look up at the sky. Tony takes the opportunity to look at him. Steve’s face is smudged from the explosion, and there’s a bruise across his cheekbone, but other than that he’s as handsome as ever, if tired. Or maybe Cap’s always looked that tired. He sighs. “Where _are_ they?”  
  
Tony nudges him. “On their way, I’m sure.”  
  
“Right.” Steve lies back in the snow. Tony can feel the cold pinpricks of snow on the arm that he had been blocking. He looks down at Steve.  
  
“Listen, Cap, don’t get any funny ideas, but-”  
  
“Shut up,” Steve says. “Body heat.” He doesn’t move, but Tony recognizes the invitation.  
  
“Right.” He hesitates, then lies down with his head on Steve’s arm. Now, Tony prides himself on staying in shape, but this is a whole new level. He pokes a tricep experimentally. “You gonna let me in on your workout secrets?”  
  
The Captain huffs a hollow laugh. “It’s just the serum.”  
  
Tony is quiet for a beat. He can feel the beads of water that used to be snow collecting on his cheeks, on his forehead, but makes no move to wipe them away. “Do you ever miss it?” he asks finally. “Being without the serum, I mean.”  
  
“I don’t miss almost dying every time I went up a flight of stairs too fast,” Steve says. He gives the little laugh again. “Then again, now I get to almost die every day for a living.” His voice sounds far away. Tony’s never heard him like this. It’s probably the blood loss.  
  
They lie in silence some more. Tony can’t believe how endless the gray sky above them is. It seems to go on forever, in every direction, like Tony could turn in circles for the rest of his life and all he would ever see would be gray. There’s a light dusting of snow on his arc reactor. Tony brushes it off absently. He’s not sure how much time as passed, neither between their arrival here or since they fell into silence. Steve is warm against him, but even that feels distant, like it’s happening in the past, or to someone else. Tony wants to close his eyes, but he’s worried that if he does, all he’ll see is more infinite gray sky. So he just lies there, immobile, mesmerized.  
  
It’s hard to say what breaks the spell. A lone, patchy-feathered bird flaps forlornly in the edge of his field of vision, interrupting the ceaseless sky. Tony blinks at it. There’s something else he wants to see in the sky. Not a bird, not a plane… No, yes, a plane. A plane coming to rescue them. Him and Cap. And they need to be alive when it gets here. With great difficulty, he sits up. It feels like all his joints have forgotten the way they’re supposed to bend.  
  
“Cap,” he says, still looking at the sky. “Cap, wake up.” The Captain doesn’t answer. Tony shakes him. “Steve, open your eyes. Wake _up_ , goddammit.” Grimacing, he shakes Steve’s bad shoulder, and after a moment, Steve’s eyes snap open.  
  
There’s a rush of relief. “Sorry, man, but I had to…” Then concern. He stops. “Steve?”  
  
Steve isn’t looking at him, just propping himself up on his good arm, frowning over Tony’s shoulder. Then, inexplicably, his face stretches into a smile, one utterly unlike any he’s ever offered Tony. Tony’s used to grudging. This is closer to delighted. He checks behind him for the plane, but the sky’s as empty as it’s been since they fell here. He looks back at the Captain.  
  
“Steve?” he says uncertainly.  
  
“Bucky,” says the Captain, in a voice of wonder. “You came back.” He reaches weakly for Tony with his bad arm, holding on to his wrist like he can’t believe it’s solid. The Cap’s fingers are cold.  
  
“Um,” Tony says. “Sorry to burst your bubble, buddy, but this isn’t-”  
  
Steve talks over him. “Never thought I’d see you again,” he says, pulling Tony closer. “Thought you were gone forever.” He coughs, from somewhere deep in his chest. “But you found me.” He sounds, to Tony’s mild horror, close to tears.       
  
Steve’s eyes are unfocused, but crinkled from the sincerity of his smile. Tony’s never seen him look this happy. “Jeez, Cap, I-”  
  
The Cap lets go of his arm and reaches out, trembling fingers brushing Tony’s cheek. Tony’s startled into silence. “I missed you so much,” Steve whispers. He sounds reverent.  
  
“Cap-”  
  
Steve kisses him. Tony freezes. The Captain’s lips are cold, then warm as the kiss deepens. Tony thinks he can taste blood. He pulls away. Steve doesn’t seem to mind. He’s managing eye contact now, and he’s looking at Tony like there’s nothing more in the world. For a moment Tony feels terribly, horribly guilty.  
  
Steve's gaze is steady now. “Sorry I left you in the cold,” he murmurs. “I know you hate it. But I guess we’re even now, huh?” He coughs again, then again, and Tony, without thinking, slips an arm around him to stop him from shaking so much. Steve leans into the touch without hesitating, resting his forehead on Tony’s chest, the faint light from the arc reactor illuminating his pale eyelashes. “Thanks, Buck,” he breathes. “You’re the best.”  
  
The makeshift bandages- both of them- are just about soaked through, the melted snow turning Steve's blood pink, but there’s nothing Tony can do about it now, with his fingers numb from the cold and the wind and the Cap curled into him as if there’s still any warmth between the two of them. He rests his head on top of the Captain’s, Steve’s light hair damp on his cheek.  
  
Tony doesn’t know how much time passes with the two of them like that, wrapped desperately around each other, before he sees it. Clear on the darkening horizon, a plane. For a moment, he can’t breathe. “Steve,” he wheezes, almost laughing. “Steve, Steve, look! Ha! _Ha_!”  
  
Cap doesn’t respond. Tony doesn’t press it. He has passed out.


End file.
